ON DROMAS ARDEOLA. 221 



An ornithologist finding Dromas ardeola, were he not pre- 

 viously acquainted with it, under such tern-like circumstances, 

 as Layard did, far out at sea, perhaps winging its way steadily 

 up and down the coast, (it must have been flying straight from 

 one place to another however ; it was not out for a cruise,) 

 would, as a matter of course, look at it as having relations with 

 sea-birds. It is certainly a remarkable form, and, as I imagine, 

 it is found in India, as in Ceylon, on wild out-of-the-way shores 

 and estuaries rarely visited by Europeans, and where its habits 

 can with difficulty be studied ; the more it is searched for by 

 Indian naturalists and its economy made known through the 

 pages of Stray Feathers, the better and the sooner will its 

 true atfinities be worked* out. 



In Ceylon, as far as my researches go, Dromas ardeola fre- 

 quents the salt lagoons and numerous back waters on the north- 

 east coast above Trincomalie. In the great resort of all 

 waders and natatorial birds (exclusive of Anserida) on the south- 

 east coast, viz., the salt lagoons of the Rattnegam district, I 

 have not seen it, and this fact, coupled with the experience of 

 other observers, who have found it only high up on the west 

 coast, goes far to prove that it does not extend to the south of 

 the island. 



The line of country to the north of Trincomalie is one long 

 series of salt lagoons and large shallow lakes, lying at a short 

 distance from the coast, in most instances only separated from the 

 sand hillocks of the shore by a narrow strip of thick jungle, and 

 connected with the sea by shallow outlets, which are crossed 

 near the beach by bars and sand banks nearly high and dry at 

 low water. As the shores of these waters are extremely flat, 

 a large portion of them is left bare b}' the receding tide, and 

 be} T ond the water line it is so shallow that Herodias, Ardea, and 

 such like long-legged genera may be seen stalking along, spear- 

 ing their finny prey at a distance of more than ^ a mile ; whereas 

 the foreshore and grassy salt marshes, lying often between it 

 and the edge of the jungle, are the resort of multitudes of 

 Totanince, f Angina, Charadrince, &c. It is needless to add that 

 all this region is as wild as wild can be. Here then is the 

 temporary winter (?) home of nearly every species of wader 

 found in Ceylon, and here Dromas ardeola, amongst them, plies 

 his "' crabby'' vocation unmolested, and almost unobserved by 

 naturalist or collector. 



* I don't myself think that there is very much left to be worked out as to its affinities ; 

 Van der Hoeven, in his " Annotationes de Dromade ardeola, Payk," clearly showed 

 from its osteology as long ago as 18C7, that the place of Dromas is next to Hamatopus, 

 and it is, I think, beyond doubt that it is a connecting link between this latter genus 

 and Esacus. In all their actions, in their modes of walking, standing, and flying, 

 _D. ardeola and E. recurvirostris are not to be separated. See also S. F., Vol. II., pp. 

 68 et seq., and 293.— Ed., S. F. 



